Only Fate
by Tsunake
Summary: CHAPTER FIVE IS UP! When a young girl stumbles across the battlefield on Goku and 19, she flees when Dr. Gero attacks her. When she hides in his lab, she frees the deadly 17 and 18. Only fate chose that they were feeling kind that she let them free.......
1. An Unwanted Visitor

*Coughs* Um, hi. I'm back again. With a new story and yeah. Seeing as this is my second one, reviews and HELPFUL criticism are appreciated. Also! I haven't seen a lot of the Android, so if something is obviously wrong, besides me changing what happens, please tell me! So, on that note, enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing of out of this story except for Rae. This is for all of you people that don't seem to realize that.  
  
~ This stands for a thought~  
  
It was midday. The sun shone down brilliantly on the rocky island. A girl was leaning back against one of the boulders. She looked to be about sixteen, with shoulder length, light brown hair. Her bright green eyes were currently closed, occasionally opening to look at the clouds. Her name was Rae. She had been fighting with her parents again. They were yelling at her for being "mean" to her brother. Her brother always got her in trouble, no matter what she did. Sighing and opening her eyes, Rae thought to herself. ~Well, at least I found this island. No one will be able to find me here.~ She drowsily closed her eyes again. Even if her bro DID find out where she was, there was no way that he could get to her. ~Everything's perfect..just perfect..~ Rae came from one of the nearby islands. She had to swim at least five miles to get here. She had brought a lunch with her, seeing as she didn't want to go back to her home. Rae wasn't well liked around town. She had a vicious temper, which often caused her to say or do something stupid. Rae was just about to fall asleep when the entire island shook. Onto her feet, Rae's piercing gaze swept around the terrain. The island shook again, nearly causing her to fall. ~Go... It isn't safe. Find the danger and then get out...~ Her instinct commanded her. Rae cautiously walked to the row of rocky peaks blocking her path. Scaling them with the least amount of noise she could make, Rae's green eyes glinted as she peered over the top. All she could do was stare.  
  
There was a group of people standing there. One man was dressed in orange and he was clutching his chest, moaning. A kid ran up to him, panicking. Her mind took in another man who was....green. And another who had three eyes....She briefly considered going to help, but then she saw something that filled her with dread. There were two other people. The one had pure white skin. His face was extremely round, and he reminded Rae of a mime. Then there was the other one. He was an old man, an extremely old man. Both of them were wearing strange clothing. Rae couldn't help but thinking she was being superstitious, but there was this feeling, this sense of evil that was emitting from them. She watched this strange group a while longer until another man came, no, not just came, he flew down from the sky. Suddenly, his black hair turned bright yellow. He yelled something. All Rae really heard was "Kakarot" and "heart virus." Whatever that meant. Another man dressed in orange flew off, carrying the man who was having pain in his chest. The newcomer, the three eyed man, the little kid and the two oddly dressed people. The white faced man and the now blond guy began to fight. Rae watched with interest for a while, thinking that maybe they were training for The World Martial Arts Tournament, until suddenly, the blond guy tore off the white faced man's arms. Gasping in horror , she slunk down, sickened. Rae's head pounded with nausea and fear. When she felt brave enough to look again, she let out a tiny scream. The white faced man's head had been blown completely off. When she looked closer, she could see that wires were poking out the base of his neck. Feeling stupid for screaming, Rae sighed in relief. Then...something felt...wrong....Looking up slowly, she saw that the older man was looking..right..at..her...... He glared at her and held out one hand. A glowing ball of light appeared in it. ~Ohshitohshitohshit!!! Gogogogofaster!~ Her mind screamed. Instinctively, she kicked hard off the mountain, flying downward. The rocks she had just been laying on exploded, cutting into her legs with sharp pieces of rock. ~Me! That could have been ME!!!!~ Blocking out her mind's panicked babbling, Rae pumped her arms for speed. Risking a glance behind her, she saw the old man flying right behind her, at a speed that was faster then any race car's. And by the way he was speeding up, her mind calmly accepted that she was about to die. 


	2. The Laboratory

Ugh.....I feel really sick and I've got nothing better to do. So, on with the next chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or anything related to anything you might have seen or heard before. Except for Rae. I created her, therefore she's mine. *sticks tongue out*  
  
~When these surround text, it's a thought~  
  
Rae's eyes fluttered. She sank in and out of consciousness. After what seemed like an hour, she was finally able to keep her eyes open. Groaning loudly, she slowly sat up, trying to remember what had happened. Rae winced as her head began to throb. ~Let's see..I was....running..~ Rae closed her eyes, remembering the terror she had felt when that man was behind her. ~But...no, he wasn't a man....He wasn't even human.....That is, if he's like his friend..~ Rae shuddered, remembering the pale man's head lying on the ground. Shaking her head, Rae gave a cry of pain, clapping her hand to the back of her head. Rae gave a sharp gasp. Pulling her hand away, she looked at it. It was smeared with blood. Touching the lump on the back of her head again, Rae winced as the warm sticky feeling of blood seeped through her hair. She remembered quiet clearly what happened now.... She had been running, and the man. He.had done something. She didn't know what, but it sent her flying high into the air. She had been thrown hard in one direction and was gaining speed. She was flying backwards. She saw the strange green man throw his hands out in front of him. She didn't know what he did, but she began to slow. The last thing she remembered was hitting the wall with a sickening crack. Standing slowly, Rae wobbled a bit. Turning around, she realized how lucky she had been. She had managed to hit..a door...  
  
Gazing up at the gigantic steel door, Rae saw that if she had been a few inches higher, she would have missed the small platform that was jutting out. Looking at the door more closely, Rae saw a trail of red starting at the top of the door and trailing downward. "Damn.." She whispered softly. That was her blood. She must have hit extremely hard and slid all the way down. ~Well, there's no way to get down now. Maybe..I can just open that door, someone inside could help me.. ~ Pivoting to the left, Rae saw a tiny panel with numbers on it. "Oh goddamn it.." She swore. "I suppose I'll just have to guess random numbers..." Rae cautiously approached the panel, not wanting the platform to crumble beneath her. Rae lifted one hand. "Buttons, buttons..." She said with a tint of humor in her voice. "Well....." She said softly, her delicate features creasing with worry. "What if this is like one of those movies? You punch in the wrong number and BAM!!! The spikes come up and kill you..." She shook her head roughly, earning her a sharp bolt of pain. ~Snap out of it! You'll be fine. Just put a number in and be done with it! ~ Rae took a breath. "Well.how about I put in my age?" Quickly, she typed in the number sixteen. A soft tone came out of the panel. Rae eagerly turned to the door. It remained as cold and stoic as ever. "Damn..that would have been too easy..." Sighing, Rae looked back at the number panel. "In two days I'll be seventeen... Will that work also?" Punching in the number, once again, she was rewarded by the soft musical notes. "What if...." Rae typed in the number eighteen. The soft musical notes flowed out.  
  
Rae smiled. "This IS too easy..." After putting in nineteen and twenty, the door gave a loud groan and slowly swung open. Rae's grin of triumph slowly faded away as she glanced in the dark forbidding passage. Quietly, she slipped inside. The door slammed shut, causing her to lose her balance as the room shook. Letting out a mild curse, she quickly regained her footing. Everything she looked at caused her to shiver. The rooms were dark and dank. It looked like where some mad man preformed horrible experiments on the poor, helpless souls that were trapped there. Rae continued to wander around; not calling out for fear that the deranged person who lived here would find her... ~Oh, why did I have to open that stupid door in the first place? Now I can't get back out! ~ Rae was too busy thinking to look where she was going. Running into something hard, she shook her head, winced, and looked at what she had run into. It looked like it was....a large...container of some sort that was filled with some kind of liquid.There was also....a human BODY in there! Letting out a muffled shriek, Rae backed up slowly. When she bumped into something else, she spun her heart pounding. There was ANOTHER one! Trying not to flip out completely, Rae sat down against one of the containers. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. Standing up, she found some papers on the floor nearby. They looked to be something like a journal entry...Grabbing them, she slowly read.  
  
Status on Androids 17 and 18  
  
The Androids that I have worked my entire life on have become too powerful to handle without dire consequences. Unless Goku is able to surpass 19 and my powers, they will be given a fatal injection, therefore destroying the threat that they could ever do something rash. So I hoped that my perfect fighting machines would be able to be released..I fear that they would turn on me if I were to set them free. Though if it comes to me having to release them, they'd surely show some gratitude towards me, seeing as I am their master. The injection will be given on May 12th. Next time I shall be more successful in creating the perfect fighter.  
  
Rae stared at the paper, her mind slowly realizing what it meant. She glanced at the floating body in the container she was leaning against. The body was a female with blonde hair. She was wearing a skirt with a vest on top of a striped shirt. ~Perfect fighter? Like the ones I saw earlier? ~ Her mind drifted back to the blond haired man. Looking in the other container, she saw a male with black hair. He too was wearing a black vest with a white shirt underneath. He had an orange bandana on along with a pair of green socks. Rae scanned the paper again, registering the "fatal injection" part. ~It's not fair..they shouldn't be destroyed because they're powerful. And....if they're androids.. ~ Rae's eyes widened with realization. ~That man! The one who was chasing me.He was an android too! Is it possible that he created them? ~ Rae narrowed her eyes. "If that's the case, then I might as well set these two free....That stupid bastard deserves to be killed!" Her pretty face set with determination, Rae strode to the front of the girl's container. The controls were basically made for a two-year-old. Pressing the green button, she walked over to the guy's container and did the same. With a high-pitched bleeping noise, the fluid inside began to drain away. ~Uh-oh...Hey stupid! What if they decide to "have fun" with you? ~ Rae's eyes widened at this sudden thought. "Aw shit!" She said and began to run. As she fled down the corridor, the sound of breaking glass was evident. Rae panicked and jumped behind one of the tall pillars. She heard a female voice conversing, followed by a reply from the male. Then the footsteps started. And they were coming right toward her. 


	3. Flight

Eh.........STUPID FLU!!!! It makes me feel sad. So, aren't you lucky that I feel like updating? Heh heh............*coughs and nearly dies* X______X  
  
~This is a thought cause of the pretty things surrounding it~  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from DBZ, duh. If I did, I would be rich. Then I wouldn't have to sit here, typing up stories.  
  
Rae kept dead silent, the memories of her training coming back to her full force. ~Blend with your surroundings........Stay silent till the last second.........Then either strike with a viciousness that can never be matched, or disappear into the shadows.....~ It had been quite a while since Rae had felt fear. Rae use to be the loner in her village. She was extremely strong, even stronger then some of the adults. Her only emotions had been rage and hatred. She had picked fights continuously, and had always won. When the police came, she had trained herself to slip away in the shadows. She could even fight in the snow and walk away without making any marks.  
  
After two long years in anger management, Rae finally was able to stop fighting. Her emotions became normal again, therefore, allowing her to fear things. ~Well, when that dumbass psychiatrist said that fear could be a good thing, he didn't say anything about being hunted by two super powerful Androids that were trying to kill you. ~ Rae fought to control her feelings. Her psychiatrist had warned her that her old emotions might try to surface again if she didn't control them. Rae closed her eyes. Sharpening her ears, she listened for any sign of approaching movement.  
  
Rae tensed as she heard movement start again. There was a rustling of paper. Then a cool, male voice spoke. "Heh, listen to this 18......."  
  
"What?" Came the icy reply. The male, 17, spoke again.  
  
"Bio-engineered Androids 17 and 18 are the perfect fighting machines, blah, blah, blah........." More rustling of paper. "Oh, here's something cool. These Androids are capable of flight, extreme strength, using their energy to form powerful attacks.........." 17 voices were slowly filling with boredom. The soft, feminine reply floated out of the darkness.  
  
"So? Who cares?" 17 gave a small laugh and read on. 18 listened, sounding slightly amused.  
  
"Hm.......created by Dr. Gero for purposes of taking over the entire world." 18 laughed a light, merciless sound.  
  
"I bet. Like I'd listen to him." Light footsteps started to move across the room. Rae narrowed her eyes. This was definitely 18. Male footsteps were heavier. The sound of a paper being picked off the floor caught her attention again. 18's voice was filled with anger the next time she spoke. "Fatal injection, huh?" A slight sound of someone jumping off a table.  
  
"Where? Let me see." 17 asked. After a few moments of silence, 18 spoke in an airy voice.  
  
"Well, someone did free us, right? If it was Gero, I'm sure he wouldn't be hiding."  
  
"Oh? And how do you know that?" 17 questioned. More footsteps.  
  
"Look. There's blood all over the side of this container." 18 said with a bit of triumph in her voice.  
  
"Well, it's rude that our little friend is hiding, don't you think? Let's go make sure that they feel welcome." 17 said smugly. The two laughed, and then there was dead silence. Rae fidgeted nervously. ~Oh god, how the hell am I suppose to hear them if they can fly?! Okay, okay, calm down. Just stay quiet and stay with the shadows. ~ Rae silently leapt to one of the many dark shadows in the cold, foreboding laboratory. She didn't see any signs of any movement. She could see the steel door, a good twenty yards away. Sudden movement to her right. Heart pumping, Rae dove behind a large metal table. Her head was underneath the table. She watched as the vial that had been dropped shattered, the crystal pieces flying in all directions.  
  
Rae sighed. ~God, you're so paranoid. Just calm down. You're gonna get out of here just fine. ~ Rae waited a few seconds, mentally preparing herself. That was before she felt the warm air on the back of her neck. "Boo." 17's smug voice said right next to her. Startled, Rae immediately stood up, smashing her head on the table. She let out a moan and sank back down to the floor. Her eyes became unfocused, and she slumped onto the floor.  
  
17 watched with mild humor as the girl hit the table hard. That humor turned to shock as she moaned and passed out.  
  
"You dumbass. Can't you do anything without messing up?" 17 turned, annoyed, to face his sister. 18 was on top of the table where she had dropped the vial to distract the girl. She was rolling her eyes and shaking her head.  
  
"I didn't do anything. God, humans must be pathetically weak if that did her in. Anyway, this can't be the one who set us free, can it?" 17 retorted. 18 raised one eyebrow and gestured for 17 to bring the girl over to her. Scooping up the girl, 17 was amazed at how light she was. ~Holy shit. Does she even eat? ~ Bringing her over to 18, he set her down on another table. 18 took a good look at 17 and burst out laughing.  
  
"Oh my god, she bled all over your shirt!" 18 proceeded to laugh hysterically. 17 glanced downward.  
  
"Aw, fuck!" He swore. The white arms of his shirt were now stained red. 18 laughed even harder at his reaction. 17 stormed back to where he had been freed, flipping 18 off as he went.  
  
18 shook her head, smiling. Lifting up the girl, she saw that there was a pool of blood where her head had laid upon the steel table. Sighing, 18 examined the back of her head. 18 wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of a huge bloody lump.  
  
"Hey 17! Come here." 18 called.  
  
"What do you want?" Came the disgruntled reply. A few seconds later, 17 emerged with a new shirt on. It was exactly similar to the old one.  
  
"For once in your life, you actually didn't do anything this time." 18 showed him the lump. 17 said smugly,  
  
"I told you." 18 sighed and said,  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Now, go find some bandages or something." 17 looked surprised.  
  
"Why? She's just a worthless human." 18 glared at him.  
  
"I know that. But she freed us, didn't she? Without her, Gero might have killed us both." 17 grinned and put both his hands up in mock surrender.  
  
"All right, all right. You win." He turned around and walked back to the containers. 


	4. Gero's Unexpected Arrival

AGREETINGS ALL MY FRIENDS! Heh, today is a day that will be celebrated. I'm very sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but with school, I've been rather busy. So, I'll try to make this a long chapter for all my faithful reviewers, neh? ^_~ OH! Before I forget, a note. Yes, I know that 17 and 18 came out of those pretty little box things, but I don't care. I changed it because that's what I had pictured happening. Just for all you literals out there......._  
  
Disclaimer: I will never own DBZ or any of its fluffy little characters. .........Yeah......Something like that.........o_O  
  
18 slowly looked down at the girl, noting that the bleeding had stopped. 17 had found some bandages which were now wrapped around her head. ~You're lucky I felt nice today kid.~ She thought, gazing down at the girl's limp form.  
  
"So......" 17's voice floated out of the dark. "Why are we doing this? We're just gonna kill her..." He slowly came out of the shadows, the light illuminating his handsome features. He gazed reproachfully at the girl with his cold blue eyes, dismissing her as a worthless human and nothing more. 18 turned, tucking a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.  
  
"Well, she DID let us go." Came the icy reply. "Besides, it's the least we can do before we destroy her world, right?" 17 scoffed slightly, folding his arms.  
  
"How do you know she's not dead? You never know, humans are like.....I don't know, rabbits." 18's piercing laughter filled the lab, echoing off the cold walls. "A rabbit? Oh my god, 17, you are so pathetic! A rabbit...... Honestly......" She tossed her head, annoyed with her sibling's lack of knowledge on the subject. "She's alive because I can see her breathing you idiot." 17 made a noise that suggested that he didn't care, but he looked away, embarrassed all the same. At the same time, Rae gave a small moan, stirring slightly. 17 looked down in disdain, clearly fighting the urge to blast the girl right then and there. 18 glanced at Rae momentarily before focusing on her brother again. 17 glared back at her, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"So now what? Do we get to act like her slaves now too?" He spat. "Can I just kill her and be done with it?" 18 rolled her eyes, her arms folded.  
  
"No, you can't." She tossed her head, causing the blonde hair to flip slightly. "I want to keep her alive." 17 snorted, striding away.  
  
"Whatever. You are so lame sometimes." He muttered darkly, striding further into the shadows. 18 sighed, shaking her head slowly. ~Honestly, he is so childish......~  
  
Rae opened her eyes slowly, watching the room above her swirl wildly. With another moan, she closed her eyes, blinking slightly to try and see straight. With a sharp hiss of pain, she gingerly reached her hand out to touch the throbbing lump on the back of her head. "Well, seems you finally woke up." A cool voice spoke softly, hints of amusement in the icy tone plain. Startled, Rae leapt to her feet. With another hiss of pain, she sank to her knees, the throbbing in her head intensifying by the minute. Forcing her eyes open, she tensed as she saw 18 watching her, mildly interested by Rae's strange behavior. "What's your problem?" The Android approached her slowly, a small smirk spreading across her face. She bent down so she could see eye-to-eye with the girl. "You're not frightened now, are you?" She said in a soft, dangerous voice.  
  
Rae narrowed her eyes at the Android, firmly deciding that if she were to die, she was not going to play this machine's little game. "No, I'm not." She hissed, folding her arms. "If you're only going to keep me alive to toy with me, I'd rather you kill me now." Her green eyes flashed slightly. 18 smirked again, straightening up.  
  
"Well, at least you seem to be somewhat intelligent.....After all, you DO know how to recognize when there's nothing you can do to fight back. Seems that you're the only smart one of your pathetic race, huh?" 18 tossed her head, slowly making her way to the spot where 17 was sulking. "What happened to welcoming our little friend, huh?" She teased. 17 glowered at her but reluctantly came out of the shadows. Rae assumed that he was the one responsible for causing her to smash her head on the table. 17 snorted after looking her up and down.  
  
"Pah, you don't look like much." He said dismissively, turning away to watch 18. "I told you. We should just kill her and be done with it." Rae bristled, her temper getting the better of her.  
  
"Well excuse me if I'm not a super powerful Android that can fly!" She snapped, jumping off the table to glare at the cocky black-haired boy. 17 looked a bit taken aback by her hostile tone, but covered it quickly with a smirk.  
  
"Feh, you DO realize girl that it was indeed your race who made us this way." He inclined his head, looking down at her. Rae snorted, still glaring at him.  
  
"That freak outside may have created you, but I had nothing to do with it!" She snapped, her temper manifesting through her. She knew she was getting herself deeper and deeper into the problem, but she was beyond caring at this point. Her body was trembling with rage. 17 shot a grin at his sister, deciding that this human might actually be all right compared to the rest of them. ~Heh, such a big temper for one so small....~ He though, feeling rather amused.  
  
"Hey, you're the one who let us out you know." 18 spoke softly, slowly making her way back to the girl. Rae tensed visibly, knowing that she shouldn't have. 17 nodded, smirking again.  
  
"Don't get us wrong girl, we're very grateful." Rae turned, eyes flashing.  
  
"Would you stop calling me girl?! My name's Rae." She hissed, realizing at the same time that they were just going to kill her, so they probably wouldn't care about her name. 17 was starting to look bored, nodding slightly.  
  
"Right, Rae.........Well, how did you get up here anyway?" 18 was busy looking at herself in one of the shiny pieces of equipment, fixing her hair. Rae looked at the ground, unsure why they weren't just killing her yet.  
  
"Some guy.........He looked kind of old and had long white hair........I think he was Gero............" Her words had an instant effect on both Androids. 18 narrowed her eyes in disgust and 17 emitted a sort of growl.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us that sooner?!" He snapped, striding towards her furiously. Something inside her snapped. Grabbing a large crystal beaker, she smashed him as hard as she could in the face with it. It shattered, large pieces of glass ripping open his face. He gave a cry of surprise and pain, stumbling backwards to clutch at his face. Before she could even register what she had done, Rae was off and running, desperate to get away. She bolted headlong towards the door, but 18 landed coolly in front of her.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" She said in an icy tone. Rae stopped, panting hard.  
  
"Go ahead then. Kill me already!" She screamed, wanting everything to end. 17 landed next to 18, glaring furiously at her. Then, to her utmost surprise, he grinned at her.  
  
"That was pretty clever." He nodded approvingly at her. "Caught me completely off guard." The cuts on his face had already stopped bleeding. Rae took a step backward, her breathing becoming more shallow. 17 came alongside her, cocking his head to look at her. "Tell ya what." He said finally, looking at 18. "What if we kill that ugly bastard for you? Don't you want some revenge for him giving you this?" He asked indicating to the lump on the back of her head. Rae stopped, hesitating. ~This has to be some sort of trap........~ She thought mentally, still panting. 18 seemed to sense Rae's thoughts. She sighed, flipping her hair again.  
  
"Don't worry. There wouldn't be a reason for us to trick you." She shrugged. "We could just kill you right here and now." Rae stood a second longer, still hesitating. Finally, she nodded, swallowing hard. 17 smirked, slowly walking up to her.  
  
"All right, now that that's out of the way......What would you like us to do to him?" 17 slowly lifted a hand, ticking off the fingers as he listed painful ways of death. "We could shoot him, burn him, stab him, oh yeah, we could also feed him to rabid children." 17 cocked a brow at her. "It's really your choice. Whatcha wanna do?" Rae considered quietly, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable about deciding how to murder somebody. Luckily for her, she was interrupted before she could make a choice.  
  
The large door swung open with an earth shaking thud, causing Rae to fall. She winced as she landed hard, scraping her palms. 18 raised a brow, a small sigh escaping her. Then, both the Androids turned to face the door. An old man stood in the door way, panting hard. His long white hair swayed as he glanced quickly at both 17 and 18, something that resembled panic crossing his face. It faded quickly as he strode up to them briskly, an air of authority hanging around him.  
  
"Well, what a pleasant surprise." The old man said quite unconvincingly. "How did you get out?" Rae shivered furiously, remembering the same, cold voice. It chilled her, almost like a cocoon of ice. Gero turned to glare at her, comprehension dawning upon his wrinkled face. "I see....." He bent down and grabbed her firmly by the hair. Deliberately, he stood up slowly until she was dangling in the air. Rae cried out in pain. ~My scalp's going to rip!!!!~ Her mind screamed. "This is your first lesson you two..." The doctor spoke softly, his gaze still fixed upon the writhing girl. "Never let even the smallest of creatures escape your wrath. They'll end up being an annoyance somehow."  
  
17 cocked a brow, looking at Gero incredulously. "And you think you can tell us this WHY?" He asked, looking at 18 smugly. Gero turned, still holding the girl by her hair.  
  
"Because I'm your master of course." Gero said, looking somewhat nervous. "I created you. Without me, you would never exist." 17 slowly walked over to him, examining him closely.  
  
"Is that so? Well damn......... If I had known that my creator looked like he roamed with the dinosaurs, I wouldn't have expected that I'd look so good!" 18 rolled her eyes as 17 swept a hand through his jet black hair, grinning. Gero snorted disapprovingly, but let it drop.  
  
"Yes, well, how would you two like to dispose of this creature for me?" Gero held the squirming figure out towards them, quite pleased that he seemed to be controlling the androids with ease. ~And to think that I was afraid that you might try to overpower me. ~ Gero shook the girl once more savagely before looking expectantly at the twins. 17 shot 18 a quick glance. With a small smirk, she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and nodded. Grinning, 17 said quietly,  
  
"I think we would like that very much......" Gero nodded, smiling.  
  
"Good, good. Now, hurry up and be done with her." 17 grinned slyly at 18 before replying.  
  
"As you wish, oh master....." 17 slowly reached a hand out, the other tucked away in his pocket. Gero chuckled to himself. Everything was going to be perfect. 17 and 18 would surely help him dominate the world. ~Glorious. Simply glorious. They're so eager. It's almost sad. I surely thought that they would show SOME type of rebellion. No matter. After this, Earth will be mine. ~ Suddenly, strong fingers wrapped around his wrist. Startled, Gero looked up, seeing that 17's hand was clamped firmly on his wrist. ~Wha- What's this?! Some type of malfunction in the system?!~ Gero thought desperately. ~That's it. Something must have gone wrong. But perhaps........What if he.......?~ Cautiously, not taking his eyes off the grinning android before him, Gero snaked a hand behind him, nearly collapsing in relief as his hand closed upon the cold, yet welcoming surface of a remote control. With a cry of triumph, he whipped the remote towards 17, his finger barely brushing the surface of a bright red button.17 narrowed his eyes, tightening his hold. Gero grunted, dropping the girl. With a squeak, she hit the floor hard, scrabbling to get to her feet. 18 had tensed slightly, staring at Gero with her icy blue eyes.  
  
"You don't want to make me hit this button." Gero warned, panting slightly. 18's mouth thinned to a slim line before replying coldly,  
  
"And why not?" Gero gave her a tight lipped smile.  
  
"Because my dear.......If I hit this button, you two will become instantly deactivated, once more, going back to a long, lonely sleep." He grinned inwardly as both androids tensed visibly. ~Pure genius, making this remote.~ Gero knew that the twins were too intelligent to not believe what he was saying. It was too great a risk. They glanced hesitantly at each other for a brief second before focusing back on him. 17 growled softly while 18 gave a small, bitter sigh. Gero chuckled once more before becoming authoritive.  
  
"All right you two. You're both going to help me with world domination. Thus, that is why you were created in the first place." On and on, Gero continued to lecture the two androids. Both remained silent, knowing they could do nothing while he was focused on them.  
  
Rae forced herself not to cry out, though her scalp was throbbing. It felt as though thousands of needles had been forced through the thin layer of skin. She had hidden herself behind several large, metal containers. Panting slightly, she glanced at the gap between the containers. She had heard Gero talk about 'deactivation.'  
  
~Whatever that means.....~ She thought glumly, wishing she had tuned in sooner to the conversation. ~Oh well, serves those two right.~ She thought viciously. Stopping, she hesitantly glanced back between the gap. Both androids looked miserable.  
  
~DAMN my STUPID emotions!~ She cursed violently, knowing that she wasn't going to just let them get what they most likely deserved. Biting her lip nervously, Rae waved slightly. Just enough to catch 18's attention. 18 didn't move, didn't even show any sign that she had seen Rae. The corner of her mouth twitched however. 17 was too busy growling to even see the girl. Slowly, silently, Rae crept out from behind the container. She was roughly five feet behind Gero now. Clasping her hands together, she slowly moved forward. 17 suddenly spotted her, speaking softly in bewilderment.  
  
"Holy hell........." Gero stopped abruptly, staring at him. 18 gave a low hiss, covering her face with one hand. "What?" Gero asked irritably, annoyed that he had been so rudely interrupted.  
  
"Uh.........That's the best plan I've ever heard!" 17 grinned like a teacher's pet might.  
  
"Oh.......Well, thank you." Gero cleared his throat, beginning to speak again. His hands were positioned behind his back, the remote protruding from the clenched fist. He did not seem to notice how both androids were watching him intently now, seeming to hang on to his every word.  
  
Rae swallowed, reaching a trembling hand towards the remote. Gero shifted, and she nearly screeched in surprise. Her hand just missed the mass of white hair that dangled inches above the remote. ~If I'm going to die, might as well do it now......~ She thought, snaking her hand out. She ripped the remote out of his hands with such force that she nearly dropped it.  
  
"WHAT THE-"Gero spun wildly, eyes blazing. "GIVE ME THAT NOW!" Rae screamed, clutching the remote tightly. Gero lunged for her, a massive wave of energy in one hand. With another ear-piercing screech, she tore through the lab, followed by an extremely angry Gero. She stopped, cursing her unbelievable bad luck. She had managed to run straight into a dead end. ~No way out.~ Rae thought calmly, that is, until she heard an angry growl behind her. Whirling around, she clutched the remote tightly, heart pounding. Gero approached slowly, menacingly, his teeth bared in an expression of hate.  
  
"I-I won't." She winced, hearing herself stammer in fear. She swallowed, forcing her voice to become steady. "It's not right, forcing them to do what you want. And if you're too weak to control them, then you should never have created them in the first place!" Gero snorted, approaching her.  
  
"Fool. You shall die a slow, painful death. Androids 17 and 18 were created for one purpose. Destruction." Suddenly, 18 appeared next to him, glaring coldly.  
  
"If that's so...." She said calmly.  
  
"Then we should start right away, don'tcha think?" 17 said wryly, appearing on the other side of Gero. He jolted in surprise, looking fearfully at both of them.  
  
"You two can take care of her, correct?" He cleared his throat, backing up slightly. The twins grinned at each other.  
  
"Sure, sure.........." 17 said quietly, grabbing the old man's face with lightning speed. Gero had enough time to make a noise of surprise before 17 squeezed. His head cracked open like a water melon that had been dropped. Blood sprayed like a fountain, shooting into the air and splattering wetly all over the floor. Rae flinched, dropping the remote. It shattered on the floor, pieces flying everywhere. 18 smirked, tossing her hair.  
  
"Now that we're done with that......" 17 said casually, wiping the blood on a nearby wall. He turned to look at Rae, frowning slightly. "You.......shall I say, 'saved' us. Well, from at least working for the bastard. Why?" Rae could only stare at him, shaking her head slightly.  
  
"You needed help......" She said quietly, and they all lapsed into an eerie silence.  
  
((Just a little bit long, huh? Oh well!^^ Please review! Also, I might not update for a while, seeing with school and stuff, but just be patient!)) 


	5. Horror

((I am so sorry......I have been a bad person....Ah well, enough with the self pity, ON TO THE CHAPTER!))

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah.........I don't own everyone except Rae.........Yadda yadda.

Rae hugged herself tightly; refusing to look at the headless corpse that lay sprawled out on the floor, merely feet from her. 17 yawned, slowly walking towards the door. 18 caught Rae's eye and jerked her head towards the door. Then, she gracefully followed her brother out, blonde hair swishing back and forth. Rae sighed quietly to herself, wondering what they planned to do now. 17 was examining the closed door, reaching out with one hand to touch the metal surface. Rae looked nervously from one Android to the next, wondering why she wasn't dead yet. 18 leaned against a nearby wall, looking bored.

"Hurry up." She shook her head impatiently.

"Yeah yeah, hold on a minute....." Suddenly, a huge explosion ripped across the lab. Rae flew backwards, ramming into another machine. Groaning loudly, she rolled to her feet, feeling as though every bone in her body was broken. Her green eyes flew wide open as she stared at the now destroyed door. "

"Show off." 18 rolled her eyes and casually peered over the edge of the cliff.

"Hey, that was raw talent." 17 protested, walking over to join his sister. Oh, I get it..... Rae thought glumly. They're gonna leave me..... 17 glanced at 18 and jerked his head towards Rae. Yup.....Here we go..... She sighed softly. She knew this had been coming, but still, it was hard to get used to the fact that you were going to die. 17 leapt from the cliff, soaring upward, his black hair fluttering back in the wind.

"Oh wow....." Rae spoke softly, watching him with a sense of longing. Never had she wanted to do something more. Hovering for a moment, the teen flipped and plunged into a heart stopping dive. "Man......" Soft footsteps caught her attention. Glancing quickly upward, she saw 18 watching her.

"Come on kid. He'll be back soon." 18 waited until Rae had completely stood, then walked back to the edge. Cautiously, Rae followed her, swallowing hard when she saw the edge. I hate heights.... The drop was absolutely enormous, jagged rocks jutting outward from all sides of the mountain. Shaking her head, Rae backed up, swallowing hard. What if I had missed that ledge.....? She shuddered, not wanting to think about it.

"Idiot. There he is. Come on." Rae glanced up at the sound of her voice, blinking furiously when she saw what 18 was talking about. 17 was waiting outside. However, he had managed to bring a hovering black corvette with him. That's a really nice car.....Wonder where he got it........ Suddenly, Rae had a very good idea where he had gotten it. 17 grinned at them, running a hand through his hair.

"Come on ladies, your ride awaits." 18 rolled her eyes, reaching down and grabbing Rae by the wrist. Rae yelped in surprise as 18 leapt out the door, pulling Rae with her. Rae winced, praying to god that the Android wouldn't drop her. Suddenly, she felt a leather seat beneath her. Sighing in relief, she opened her eyes, finding herself in the back seat of the car. The two Androids were in front. Catching a glimpse of 17's face, Rae swallowed hard.

"Uh......Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?" She said in a quiet voice. 18 rolled her eyes and made a motion signaling that Rae should buckle up. Oh god......Gonna die.......

"Puh, of COURSE I know how to drive this. It's a piece of cake." 17 snorted, slamming his foot on the accelerator. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyyyyyy goooooooooooooooooooodddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rae screamed mentally, her chipped nails digging into the leather seat for support. They plunged downward, like some insane roller coaster. However, roller coasters had the insured safety feature that you weren't going to die. This didn't. Forcing herself to open her eyes, Rae yelped as she saw them spiraling towards a mass of sky scrapers. Now, think about this. Just a moment ago, they were on top of a barren mountain. Now they were in a heart of a city. Hell, they were moving fast.

At the last possible second, they pulled up, though Rae could have reached out and touched the glass window. Over and over again, the car swirled and swooped and dove. Luckily, she didn't get carsick easily. After ten more horrific minutes of this, 18 had enough and left. So now it was just Rae and 17 in the car. He turned around, grinning at her. "It's just you and me now." Rae swallowed hard. 17 revved the engine again, this time plummeting straight towards a neighborhood. There was a slight noise, like the noise of a machine. Looking up, Rae felt a stab of fear as she saw the hood to the convertible closing itself. 17 glanced up in the rearview mirror and shot her a nasty grin just before they shot straight through a house.

Rae screamed the entire time, shielding her face out of instinct as bits of plaster and concrete slammed into the metal hull of the car. 17 laughed the entire time, the golden earrings shimmering as they dangled back and forth. After bursting out the other side of the house, he stopped to look at her, still grinning. "Feel like doing that again?" He was about to slam on the accelerator when Rae grabbed his shoulder.

"No......No, I wanna get out now....." She gasped, her hands trembling and her face pale. 17 grinned again, lowering the car to the ground. Rae ripped open the door, half ran, half staggered to the nearest bush, and promptly began throwing up. 17 calmly climbed out, watching her with a disgusted expression on his face.

"You idiot." Next thing he knew, 17 got whacked in the back of the head with what felt remotely like a brick. 18 walked past him, folding her arms and talking to Rae in a quiet, annoyed tone. 17 turned to see bits and pieces of a cement block behind him.

"Aw man....." He complained, feeling all that stuff tangled within his hair. "That sucked 18...." She shot him a cold glare and waited till Rae was finished, then tossed her head and strolled back over.

"You deserved it. Now I'm bored." She rolled her eyes and watched Rae slowly follow her back.

"Can we never do that again......?" Rae asked weakly, looking to both Androids. 17 smirked at her while 18 shrugged unconcernedly. Suddenly, sirens blared from all directions. Rae jumped while the Androids glanced at each other, then looked to her.

"Stay here for a second. We'll be back love." 17 smirked again. Rae snarled, but at 18's glare, stalked over to the car and sat on its hood. The two Androids simultaneously floated in the air, racing off to the direction of the noise. Angrily, Rae threw herself downward, wincing as her head smashed into the car.

"Ow." She muttered, her eyes growing wide as there was a huge explosion. A hot wind blasted from where the Androids had gone, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut in pain. "Double ow..." Sitting up, Rae gaped as she saw a huge fire raging angrily, consuming everyone and everything in its path. Two distant shadowed figures stood within the heart of the flame, blue eyes gleaming coldly.

Holy......they.......they just blew it up! Her astounded thoughts were tinged with horror and grief. "How.....why.......?" She stuttered, suddenly realizing the fire was right on top of her. With no time to scream, she threw up her arms, forming an X with them and covering her face. The fiery death never came. Strong hands wrapped around her wrists and yanked her upward. The ground spiraled beneath her, her dirty sneakers dangling now miles above the raging tornado of fire. Rae glanced down, realizing she was being carried up and away from the flame. With a soft whimper, she looked up, startling upon seeing a boy probably four years older than she was. With a distinctive blue jacket and purple hair, his eyes were angrily glaring at the scene before him. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to be lulled by the smooth, gentle motion of the boy's flight. As her feet gently caressed solid ground, her eyes snapped open. How the hell could HE fly too?!

"Are you all right?" The boy asked her in a husky, grief-drenched tone. She could only nod, her eyes fixed upon the burning inferno. "Good. You must hurry and hide. They'll be after the survivors soon........" He spat bitterly on the ground. "Murdering bastards." Before she could say anything, he took off, purple hair fluttering as he raced off into the clouds. Stunned, confused, and mentally hurt, she sank to her knees, tilting her face upward. The only sounds were screams and the haunted crackling of flame. Suddenly, movement within the flame. With her head sagging to one side, Rae watched with glazed eyes as the two murderers moved slowly towards her, oblivious to the flames caressing their forms. 

"What's wrong with her?" 17 spoke, jerking his chin towards the girl. 18 shot him an annoyed glance, shifting her weight to one leg.

"We just blew up an entire city. You tell me." Her tone was clipped, tinged with amusement. Rae could only stare at them, her hands reaching up to grip her hair.

"Why....why did you do that? What did they do to you?" The girl's voice shook, her eyes never leaving the flame. 17 shrugged.

"I don't know.......they was there, that's all."

"We hate you humans for what you've done." 18 replied, a much more helpful statement than her brother's. "Come on.....this is boring." Turning, she gracefully walked away, her hair bouncing as she did. 17 rolled his eyes, tucking one hand in his pocket and using the other to grab the girl by the back of her neck.

"Come on girlie." He teased, now realizing how much she hated pet names. With a disappointed glance when she didn't respond, he tossed her in the air a bit, catching her by her wrist before she came down. Then, he took off, letting her flap limply behind him.

"You're going to break her arm idiot." 18 snapped, sitting on the front of a newly acquired vehicle. 17 casually tossed her in the back seat, putting one hand on the door and vaulting into the front seat. She didn't move, seemingly unconscious with her eyes open.

"Well sorrrrrry......." He fiddled with the ignition for a bit, smirking as the car jolted, then purred smoothly. The car rose in the air, zooming over the charred city then disappearing up into the smoky sky. After about another hour of city wrecking and dangerous driving, Rae finally seemed to come to. With a choking noise, she bolted upright. They had parked within the middle of yet another city. Smoke was billowing a good distance away. With a muffled noise of some sort, she brought her knees up to her chest, burying her head into her knees. She sat there for at least ten minutes, finally uncurling herself to gaze at the horrible destruction.

"That's it. I'm going." She murmured to herself, quickly unlatching the door and pushing it open. Hesitantly, uncertainly, she stepped out, wincing as the hollow 'thud' of her shoe echoed through out the city. After a moment of silence, she took another step. Still nothing. After a few more steps, she broke out into a dead run, her feet pounding against the ground. Fatigue and pain were slowly overtaking her, trying to bind her legs so she could fall to the cold ground. However, she would not stop, numb and oblivious to the obvious lacking in her strides. Suddenly, her legs froze, though her body kept going. Silently, she fell, landing limply on the pavement. Entire body shaking, she seemed unable to breath. Bruises welled on her face and body from where she struck the flame-heated cement. Suddenly, she relaxed, a soft sigh escaping her lips and dying on the wind. Within moments, she was asleep. Two shadows crept silently across her still form, almost like blankets. Quiet voices exchanged the thought of killing her or merely tossing her into the flame.

Her form stiffened, as though she knew they were discussing her death. Tension was thick in the air, smothering it as efficiently as the smoke. Suddenly, a miracle. The though was turned down, destroyed by the killers. Gently, she was picked up and deposited in the back of yet another vehicle. The entire time, the progress of the pair was watched by the purple-haired savior. Confused thoughts ran through his mind, and he flattened himself against the shadows as the car flew past. With a soft sigh and the promise that the girl would be resurrected if she was killed, the man took off, glancing back at the car.

And so, Rae slumbers, unaware that a very important decision regarding her fate has been made. For now, she will remain alive. For now, the Androids will tolerate her. What happens next? Read on dear fans and find out.......

((I apologize for the delay my loyal readers. I had a huge spurt of ideas last night at 2.))


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